The language that our leaders use matters. When our leaders use violent messaging, it increases the likelihood that their supporters will take violent action.
With modern communication channels, messages travel wide and fast. Trump may not specifically incite anyone to a violent act, but continually dehumanizing other people and using violent imagery and jokes will result in some people who have a preexisting tendency towards violence to take up arms and lash out.
As the leader of the free world, Trump knows his messages carry great weight. He needs to reflect on what he’s doing and realize that what he says can cause these horrific acts to occur. It doesn’t seem that he’s capable of that level of self-reflection.
Problems to be Solved
- checkPoliticians and pundits use hateful rhetoric that encourages violence, directly or indirectly.
- President Trump has been vilifying and scapegoating immigrants. He’s been running ads that call the situation at the southern border a migrant “invasion.” Telling people to go back where they came from, calling other countries “sh*tholes”, and joking about shooting migrants as they approach the border are all dehumanizing and incitements to violence.
Goals
- checkElevate political discourse to avoid the reckless demonization of immigrants and minority groups
As President I will...
- Be sure to never use dehumanizing language to describe anyone.
- Call out leaders on both sides of the aisle that stoke hate and fear, or use dehumanizing and hateful language against anyone.